Blood Predators
by CollegeAuthor
Summary: When Mulder drags Scully to Vermont to investigate a string of suspicious deaths, he is certain they are looking for vampires, while Scully believes they're looking for a serial killer. Little do they know that their presence will put their lives in horrible danger.
1. Chapter 1

Mulder sat at his desk, going through papers as he waited for Scully to arrive. It was Saturday, and Mulder knew Scully wouldn't be in a good mood for calling her in. Normally, Mulder wouldn't bother Scully on a Saturday, but this case was just too good to ignore. While going through the FBI's Missing Persons' garbage, Mulder came across a file about to be shredded; something that blew his mind away.

Director Kirsch didn't like Mulder. He constantly looked for ways to get him fired and suspended him any way he possibly could. Kirsch had taken Mulder and Scully off of the X-Files; only to reassign them after Spender had been found shot in his office. When Spender was released from the hospital, he was nowhere to be found; he was missing. Kirsch had reluctantly reassigned Mulder and Scully back to the X-Files per Skinner's request, and Mulder was more than eager to get started.

Just as Mulder was sifting through his files, Scully came into the office.

"This better be good, Mulder," Scully said. "I don't like giving up my Saturdays to go ghost-busting."

"Oh, it is Scully, it is good." Mulder said, smiling. "And I may add, it's not ghost-busting."

"I know you, Mulder." Scully said. "If it's not ghost-busting, what is it?"

Mulder gave Scully a small smile. "Did you pack your bags?"

"Yeah, Mulder, I packed my bags-…" Scully began.

"Good, we should get going," Mulder said, dodging around Scully.

"Mulder?" Scully said.

Mulder grabbed his jacket and made his way to the elevator. Scully stood in his office, arms crossed, as she debated whether to follow him.

"Come on, Scully!" Mulder yelled from the hallway.

Scully rolled her eyes and made her way to the elevator. She knew what Mulder was doing; he was avoiding the subject because he was bringing her on one of his crazy witch-hunts. Not that Scully thought Mulder was crazy; she too had seen things that made her question her own scientific reasoning. But, it was Saturday; Scully knew that she rather be sleeping in and visiting her mother, rather than encouraging Mulder's occult seeking habits.

Scully met Mulder in the elevator, where he gave her a big smile.

"Alright, what gives, Mulder? Where are we going?" Scully asked.

"We are going to a little town in Vermont known as Reggings." Mulder said, avoiding elaboration.

Scully cocked her head to the side. "And?"

"And….what?" Mulder replied.

"Mulder, why are we going to Vermont?" Scully said, becoming irritated.

"I came across a file-…" Mulder began.

"You came across a file? I'm assuming that means we weren't assigned this case?" Scully said, cutting Mulder off.

"Well, not exactly; but Skinner approved us to go." Mulder said, becoming nervous.

The elevator dinged and Mulder walked out. Scully would have questioned him further, but she didn't want anyone to overhear them. Mulder wasn't exactly taken seriously at the FBI, and the last thing Scully wanted was to have a loud conversation about aliens, witches, or God knows what in the middle of a crowded hallway. Mulder walked out to the parking garage, where Scully caught up to him.

"Mulder, what-…" Scully began.

"Grab your bags, Scully, I'll grab the car and come get you." Mulder said, cutting Scully off.

Mulder ran off in a slight jog to another section of the parking garage, leaving Scully to grab her bags from her car. Scully popped her trunk, grabbed her suitcase, and waited for Mulder to return with the FBI-issued car. A few moments later, he came swerving in, right next to her. Scully gave him a look through the car door window and placed her suitcase next to his in the trunk. Once she got into the car, Mulder sped away quickly.

"Mulder-…" Scully began.

"Scully, did you know that average life span of a-…" Mulder began to say.

"Mulder, why are we going to Vermont?" Scully said, ignoring Mulder.

Mulder looked at Scully and gave her a sly smile. He turned onto the highway and hopped in the middle lane.

"Mulder, where are you going? The airport is on the other side of the city." Scully said.

"Yes, yes it is." Mulder said. "But, due to some new FBI budget cuts, and Kirsch's direct order….we have to drive."

"We're driving to Vermont?" Scully asked, surprised. "That'll take like…like…10 hours!"

"More like 15…" Mulder said, looking at Scully.

"Mulder, why are we going to Vermont?" Scully asked once again.

Mulder stared at the road in front of him, still smiling.

"Look, if it's- if we're…look I don't care why we're going, just tell me, please." Scully pleaded.

Mulder looked at Scully and smiled. "The file is on the floor behind your seat."

Scully gave Mulder a weird look, unhooked her seatbelt, and twisted around to grab the file. It was in an average manila folder, papers peeking out of the side. Scully sat back down, hooking her seatbelt and opening the folder. As soon as she started reading the file, she knew what Mulder was hiding.

"…Witness stated she saw quick figure grab the victim…victim found fatally wounded and mutilated in creek…coroner noticed two puncture wounds on neck…" Scully read aloud. "Oh, Mulder, not this again. You're not dragging me to Vermont to go vampire hunting again?"

"Last time, it was Texas." Mulder said softly.

"_What_?"

"You said I was dragging you to Vermont again…" Mulder said softly, trying not to smile.

Scully breathed loudly and turned back to the file. "Can we ever just, I don't know, look into something normal? Why do we always have to chase phantom monsters?"

Mulder turned and smiled at Scully again. "If it was normal, it wouldn't be an X-File…"

Scully held back the urge to smile. She could get so annoyed with Mulder, but she admired his drive and passion for his work. If it wasn't Saturday, and they weren't on a 15 hour car ride, Scully probably wouldn't be in such a bad mood. After about nine hours in the car, Mulder drove into Massachusetts. The sun was beginning to set, and Scully had fallen asleep against the window.

"Scully," Mulder said softly.

Scully remained asleep.

"_Scully_," Mulder said, in a louder tone.

Scully let out a small snore. Mulder steadied the steering wheel with his left hand, and used his right hand to shake Scully's shoulder. Scully jumped up, alarmed, and looked around.

"Huh?" Scully said groggily.

"Do you want to stop to use a restroom and get something to eat?" Mulder asked.

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Scully said, sitting up straighter.

Mulder pulled into a small diner and got out of the car. Scully blinked a few times to wake herself up, and followed Mulder inside. The diner was mostly empty except for two waitresses behind the counter who were chatting away.

Mulder walked up to the counter where the waitresses were chatting and smiled. The blonde waitress on the left looked at Mulder as though he had interrupted a very important conversation.

"_Can I help you_?" The waitress said with an attitude.

"Hi, sorry, can you just tell us where the restroom is?" Mulder asked.

"The restroom is only for _paying_ customers only." The blonde waitress said.

Mulder gave a sarcastic smile and pulled out his wallet. He placed a 10 dollar bill on the counter.

"Can we have two coffees, to go, please?" Mulder said in a sarcastically sweet tone.

The waitress rolled her eyes and snatched the bill up. "The bathroom's in the back on your left."

Mulder and Scully made their way to the restroom, and when they were done, they went up to the counter where two coffees were sitting. The waitresses continued the conversation behind the counter. Mulder grabbed the coffees and noticed that the waitress hadn't given him his change.

"Keep the change," Mulder said sarcastically.

The waitresses ignored Mulder and Scully as they walked out of the diner. Scully grabbed some creamers and sugars on her way out. On the way back to the car, Mulder took a sip of the coffee and spit it out immediately.

"I don't think that sugar is going to make much of a difference, Scully." Mulder said.

Scully took a sip of the coffee and saw what Mulder was talking about. The coffee was cold and bitter; as if it had been sitting cold in the pot all day. Mulder took Scully's coffee, poured it out with his, and tossed the Styrofoam cups into the trash.

As they got back onto the road, Scully noticed Mulder was beginning to get bags under his eyes.

"Do you want me to drive?" Scully asked.

"That's okay. I've already dragged you up here on your day off." Mulder said, in a fake-guilty voice.

"Yes, you did. But, I don't want you crashing into a pole or another car, so pull over." Scully said, slightly smiling.

Mulder pulled over to the side of the road and switched sides with Scully. As they got back onto the highway, Mulder put his seat all the way back and put him arms under his head.

"Thanks for coming up with me, Scully." Mulder said.

"Like I had a choice…" Scully said, glaring at Mulder.

Mulder smiled and laughed to himself. "Can I ask you something?"

"No," Scully said, smiling slightly.

Mulder looked playfully insulted. "Okay, then."

"_What_?" Scully asked, curious as to what Mulder wanted to know.

Mulder looked excited. "When was the last time you took a vacation?"

Scully looked taken back by the question. "Oh, um last year I think. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering," Mulder said. "You seem uptight lately." Mulder said playfully.

"_I_ look uptight?" Scully said. "Oh, no, no, Mulder. I'm not uptight. I may be frustrated that you drag me around to go witch-hunting, ghost-buster, and vampire slaying with you, but you're the one who is lives for these little adventures."

"Ouch, Doc; that one hurt." Mulder said playfully.

Scully smiled and looked at the clock on the dashboard. "How much further?"

Mulder pulled out his map and checked it. "We're probably looking at about 4 hours."

Scully nodded and continued her drive. When she crossed the Vermont border, she shook Mulder awake.

Mulder sat up and squeezed his eyes as he took and exaggerated stretch.

"We just crossed into Vermont." Scully said.

"Okay," Mulder said. "You're going to stay on this road for another 100 miles. There'll be a turnoff where we need to turn right to Reggings."

Scully nodded. "Where are we going when we get there?"

"I booked us rooms at the Haddock's Inn in the center of town. Tomorrow morning we're supposed to meet with the Sheriff." Mulder said.

"The _Haddock's Inn_?" Scully asked.

"That's right, Doc." Mulder said.

When Scully saw the sign for the little town of Reggings, she turned and headed for the center of town.

"Mulder?" Scully said.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask _you_ a question?" Scully asked.

"Shoot." Mulder said.

"What's your interest in this case? I mean, how did you find it? The file is vague, I mean all that it says is that three people have gone missing and two have turned up dead. Have you considered the possibility that we're looking for a serial killer?" Scully said.

Mulder smiled. "The two victims that were found had nothing in common except for the fact that they had two identical puncture wounds on the neck. I was going through our file from Texas last year and had the bites from the victims analyzed with the pictures from the file; they matched."

"Mulder, not everything's about monsters and goblins, you know." Scully sighed.

"For me it is," Mulder said.

Scully gave Mulder a raised eyebrow look as she pulled into the Haddock's Inn. They grabbed their bags and made their way to the check-in desk. Fortunately, the receptionist was much nicer than the waitresses they had encountered earlier.

"Hi, can I help you?" The receptionist asked.

"Hi, yes, we're from the FBI. I'm Fox Mulder; I booked two rooms with this Inn earlier." Mulder said.

The receptionist typed things into her computer and looked up with a confused expression. "Uh, Mr. Mulder, you only booked one room with us."

"Oh, well, no, I booked two this morning." Mulder said, starting to panic.

"Oh, I'm sorry; there must be some sort of mistake. I only have you booked for one room." The receptionist said.

Scully stepped forward and smiled. "Is it possible to book another room?"

"I'm sorry; we're full except for the room your husband booked earlier." The receptionist said.

"He's not my-…" Scully began.

"Thank you, Mam; can we have the key, please?" Mulder said, interrupting Scully.

The receptionist smiled and handed Mulder the key. "Enjoy your stay."

Mulder smiled at the receptionist and walked towards the elevator. Scully bit her lower lip and followed Mulder. Once in the elevator, Scully gave Mulder a look.

"What?" Mulder said innocently.

Scully remained quiet and snatched the key out of Mulder's hand. She opened the door and was relieved to see two full-sized beds on both ends of the wall.

"Damn, I thought I ordered the Deluxe-Honeymooner's suite." Mulder said.

"This isn't funny, Mulder." Scully said, rolling her eyes.

"It's a little funny." Mulder said, throwing his suitcase aside and plopping onto the bed.

"And tomorrow, we meet the Sherriff." Mulder said, shutting his eyes.

Scully exhaled sharply and got ready for bed. Not only was she stuck slaying vampires on her days off, but she also had to find a way to explain to Kirsch why she was sharing a room with Mulder when he found out; which he would. Scully shut the light out and hoped that the vampires Mulder brought them up to Vermont to chase would take a day off; so they could get some sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Mulder awoke to the sound of a buzzing hair dryer in the bathroom. When he turned over in bed to check the time, the clock read 6:30am. Mulder had been so tired from the night before that he had neglected to go for his usual-morning jog. Just as Mulder was about to get out of bed, Scully came out of the bathroom, brushing her teeth. Instead of getting out of bed, Mulder quickly put his head back on his pillow, pretending to be asleep.

Scully walked towards Mulder, about to wake him up, when he quickly turned over and tried to scare her. Scull jumped up, almost choking on her toothbrush.

"Jesus, Mulder!" Scully said her mouth full of toothpaste.

Scully ran back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste, and when she came back, she looked unamused. Mulder sat up and shot her a small innocent smile.

"Mulder, get up." Scully said, throwing a towel at him.

"God, Scully. You really have no sense of humor this week." Mulder said teasingly.

"And how, Mulder, may I ask, is attempting to make me choke to death on a toothbrush funny?" Scully said flatly.

Mulder smiled and shook his head while he walked into the bathroom to take a shower. When he came out, Scully was sitting at the table going through the case reports.

"Want to go grab some breakfast, Scully?" Mulder asked.

"Mulder, I realized something," Scully said, ignoring Mulder. "The two victims weren't residents; they were both from out of town."

Mulder sighed, walked over to Scully. He took her glasses off, setting them on the table and put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes.

"Scully, we haven't eaten for almost 24 hours. Let's go eat, and then we'll look into the case." Mulder said, walking towards the door.

Scully rolled her eyes, grabbed her coat, and followed Mulder outside the hotel room. When they came to the lobby, Mulder was waiting for Scully by the reception desk. Scully gave Mulder a confused look and went over to see what Mulder was doing.

"No, I'm sorry, Sir. We won't have any more rooms available for three days." The receptionist said politely.

Scully bit her lip as she realized she would be sharing a room for the majority of the investigation.

"Okay, thank you, Mam." Mulder said. "Also, do you know if there are any good places to eat around here?"

"Oh, yes, we actually have a little restaurant at the end of the hall over there. We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner." The receptionist said, smiling.

"Thank you," Mulder said, steering Scully towards the restaurant.

"So tell me, Mulder. Do you think you can bear to share a room with me for a few days?" Scully said sarcastically.

Mulder looked truly offended. "No, Scully, I don't mind, I just thought you preferred separate rooms."

Scully smiled. "Uh-huh."

In truth, Scully didn't mind sharing a room with Mulder. But, if Director Kirsch found out about them sharing rooms, he may just find that excuse valid enough to drive them apart again.

Mulder and Scully walked into the little restaurant, where a few couples and families were already eating breakfast. When they sat down and were ready to order, Mulder bogged the waitress down with a strange request.

"Uh, excuse me, Mam. Would you have a copy of the lunch and dinner menus on hand?" Mulder asked.

"Sir, we only serve breakfast until-…" The waitress began.

"Oh, it's not for now, I just want to read them." Mulder said, smiling.

The waitress gave Mulder a strange look, and came back with two extra menus for Mulder. While Scully ate, Mulder barely touched his meal, captivated in the menus.

"Mulder, _what_ are you doing?" Scully asked.

"I think I found something interesting, Scully." Mulder said.

"And what would that be?" Scully said, pretending to be slightly interested.

"Neither one of these menus serves anything with a remote trace of garlic in it." Mulder said, still entranced in the menu.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder…"

"Scully, many myths and legions specifically state that vampires avoid garlic, because it causes a severe allergic reaction and has been known to cause problems when digesting blood." Mulder said seriously.

Scully turned her head to see a middle-aged couple staring at them. They probably thought Mulder was a nutcase.

"Mulder, are you suggesting that this hotel is run by vampires?" Scully whispered.

"It might be the whole town…" Mulder said, putting his menus down.

Scully rolled her eyes. "Mulder, have you considered the possibility that garlic doesn't grow well in this region and it takes a while to ship?"

"No, Scully. Garlic is known to grow very well in a climate like Vermont, and even if it wasn't, it isn't something you couldn't get at a grocery store."

"Mulder, I don't want to disappoint you, but I really think we're looking for a serial killer."

"Maybe you're right, Scully. But, until we know for sure, I'm keeping my mind open."

When Mulder and Scully were done, they made their way to the Sherriff's station so they could meet with the Sherriff. The station was small, like most Sherriff's stations, with cells along the entrance.

"Well, hey there!" A pretty blonde said behind a desk. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, hello, we're from the FBI, we're looking for a Sherriff Taylor Dunbar." Mulder said.

"Oh, you must be Agent Mulder and Scully." The blonde said.

Mulder raised his eyebrows and looked at the blonde. "Are _you _Sherriff Dunbar?"

"Yes Sir, that's me, but, call me Taylor."

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me introduce you; this is Dana Scully and I'm Fox Mulder."

Scully rolled her eyes as she saw Mulder blushing at the pretty blonde.

"Well, Fox, you look surprised…" Taylor said.

Mulder laughed nervously like a little kid. "Well, I'm sorry; you just look young to be a Sherriff."

"Oh that's so sweet of you-…" Taylor began.

"Actually," Scully said, breaking up the flirt fest. "We're here to investigate the murders, so if we could get to that-…"

"You don't look old enough to be an FBI _very_ special agent, Fox." Taylor said flirtatiously.

Mulder smiled and turned bright red, causing Scully to fume inside. She didn't know why, but Scully was started to despise _Sherriff Taylor_.

"Sherriff," Scully said rather loudly. "_The bodies_?"

Taylor looked at Scully and acknowledged her for the first time. "_Huh_?"

"The murders, the two bodies, you know, the reason we came up here…?" Scully said with an attitude.

"Oh, right, they're in the coroner's office downtown." Taylor said, gazing at Mulder.

Scully watched Taylor Dunbar flirt with Mulder. She did not like it, and she hated the fact that Mulder was buying into it.

"Oh, uh, also, Taylor," Mulder said. "We were wondering if you had any ideas or leads onto what killed the two victims."

"Well, actually, I do, but you'll think I'm crazy." Taylor said, whispering.

Mulder exchanged looks with Scully. Though Scully looked dumfounded, Mulder looked excited.

"No, look, I won't think it's crazy." Mulder said eagerly.

"Well, I actually think these murders may have something to do with vampires or satanic ritualists." Taylor said.

"Oh, _Jesus_," Scully muttered, turning around, putting her hand to her head.

Mulder shook his head at Scully, but looked like a child on Christmas morning. "Really? Because, that's what I was thinking!"

Scully bit her lower lip as Taylor and Mulder flirted, talked about vampires, and flirted some more. When she could stand it no more, Scully cut into the conversation.

"Sherriff Dunbar, may I ask what evidence you have to support your theory?" Scully asked.

Taylor looked dumbfounded, but answered nonetheless. "Well, actually, it seems a bit obvious. I mean, there were fang marks on the neck."

"Uh-huh…" Scully said, biting her lower lip. "Mulder, why don't we go to the coroner's office-…"

"Actually, Scully, why don't you go, and I'll check out some things with Sherriff Dunbar. I'll have her drive me back to the hotel, if that's okay?" Mulder said, looking at Taylor.

"No problem, I'd be happy to do it." Taylor said.

"_I'm sure you would_," Scully muttered, grabbing the keys from Mulder.

Scully turned on her heel and practically stormed out of the Sherriff's office. She didn't get what was so great about Sherriff _Dumb_ar. She wasn't all too bright, and her hair was _definitely_ not naturally blonde. Then again, Mulder had melted like an icicle the moment he laid eyes on her. So much for professional courtesy.

Scully drove to the coroner's office in a bad mood, thinking about how fake and annoying Sherriff Dunbar was. Just as Scully was about to turn onto a new road, something caught her eye. On the far left side of her, Scully noticed a tall rocky hill with a huge protruding cave. Instead of continuing onto the coroner's office, she pulled over and walked over to the cave.

When Scully arrived at the entrance, she noticed a large sign on a white, wooden post that read. "Caution: Do Not Enter. Immediate Death Awaits Any Human or Animal That Proceeds To Enter the Cave of the Fanged Monster." Scully read the sign twice, just to make sure she was really seeing what the sign read. From what she could tell, this town, and Sherriff Dunbar were just as far out as Mulder's ideas.


	3. Chapter 3

Scully read the sign again, as if she were seeing things. She didn't really believe in monsters or vampires, but she couldn't really ignore the sign. The bodies, after all, did perceive to have bite marks on them; and Scully started wondering if some sort of animal had caused the deaths. She contemplated calling Mulder over to the cave, but she didn't want to disturb his ongoing investigation with _Sherriff Dunbar_.

Though Scully was a trained federal agent, something about the cave began to creep her out. She took out her FBI issued flashlight, and shone the light through the front of the cave. She saw very little besides stalagmites and stalactites. Though it was against her better judgment, she decided to take a look inside. She carefully walked inside, avoiding heavy rocks that she may trip over, and started walking down a dark tunnel. She became startled at the sound of water dripping onto the ground and the sound of rocks being scraped against the bottom of the cave.

When Scully had come to the conclusion that she was worrying over nothing, she went to turn around, but came face to face with a man wearing dirty clothes and covered in dirt. She let out a sound of horror, and dropped her flashlight, as the man grabbed her arms and pushed her against the wall of the cave. She kneed the man in the balls, causing him to double over in pain, but another man came behind her and held her still. He grabbed her gun from her holster and held it to her head as the other man walked up slowly to her.

"Who are you?" The dirty man asked in a cold voice.

"I'm- I'm, I'm Special Agent Dana Scully with the FBI. I'm investigating the murders that took place in this town." Scully said nervously.

The man holding the gun to Scully, released her and let her stand on her own. Scully tried to get a look at him, but it was too dark.

"Well, Special Agent Scully, you shouldn't be here." The dirty man said.

"Why not?"

"Didn't you read the sign outside? There are monsters here." The man behind Scully said.

"The only ones here are you and me," Scully said. "May I have my weapon back?"

"This place isn't safe for people like you," The dirty man said, ignoring Scully's request.

"Yes, I can see that," Scully said sarcastically.

The man behind Scully handed her weapon back to her carefully, as she took it and put it back into her holster. She wasn't about to aim at these two men without knowing who else was in the cave and what their intentions were.

"Leave this town; go back to where you came from." The dirty man said.

"I can't do that until my investigation is complete," Scully said. "Maybe you can tell me what's going on."

"People here are not what they appear to be. It is not safe here for outsiders." The dirty man said.

"Is that a threat?" Scully asked.

"It's a warning," the dirty man said. "Go back to where you came from. Leave the investigation to us."

"You must know that I can't do that."

"If you don't leave, they will kill you, and your partner." The man behind Scully said.

Scully's heart leapt into her throat. She didn't know who these men were, but it was obvious they had been watching her and Mulder.

"Who are you?" Scully said angrily.

"We're people. If you want to see for yourself how dangerous it is for you to be here, meet us behind you hotel building at midnight. We'll show you what you need to know." The dirty man said.

The two men walked deeper into the cave until they were out of sight. Scully took a deep breath, picking up her flashlight and exiting the cave when the men left. She was spooked, but considered meeting the men at midnight. Just as she was about to get back into her car and drive to the coroner's office, a deafening_ boom_ caused Scully to fall to the ground. She hit the hard pavement, feeling hot blood running down her face. She looked up to see the skeleton of her car in flames, and words written on the pavement about three feet from her face. She stood up and realized the message, which read _GO HOME_ was likely written in blood.

"_Jesus_," Scully said to herself, as she dragged her hand to her face.

Scully reached into her back phone, and felt for her cell phone, which was not there. She quietly cursed to herself as she looked down the empty road and realized she would have to walk back into town. She took one last look at the car as she headed back towards the Sherriff's Station.

#####

Mulder sat at the Sherriff's desk with Taylor looking through case reports as they talked about vampires, Satanists, and UFOs. Mulder was not only attracted to the Sherriff for her beauty, but also for the commonalities she shared with him.

"So tell me, _Fox_," Taylor said seriously. "Why doesn't your partner like me?"

Mulder looked down and smiled to himself. "It's not that she doesn't like you, she just, well, she doesn't know you. She doesn't trust many people."

"Yes, I got that impression. She must be a _horror _to work with." Taylor said, while laughing.

Mulder look taken back by this comment and looked at Taylor with a serious expression. "Scully and I may disagree on certain things, but I couldn't ask for a better partner. She's brilliant and I would be lost without her."

Taylor ran her tongue over her teeth as if she had eaten something repulsive. "Yes, well, I'm sure she's good at what she does, but you need someone a little more supportive of your work. You know, I've always wanted to become an FBI agent."

Mulder ignored Taylor and looked at his watch.

"What is it?" Taylor asked in an annoyed tone.

"Nothing, it's just, Scully should have been done with the first autopsy by now, and she hasn't called." Mulder said, pulling out his cell phone.

Mulder clenched his teeth as Scully's phone went to voicemail. He then decided to try the coroner's office. The coroner answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" The coroner answered.

"Hello, Sir, this is Agent Mulder with the FBI. I was wondering if-…" Mulder began.

"Agent Mulder," The coroner began, cutting Mulder off. "Your partner was supposed to be here over three hours ago, is she coming or not?"

Mulder's heart sank. "She isn't there yet?"

"No, and Agent Mulder, I have other things to be doing besides waiting around all day. Tell your partner that if she wants to examine the bodies, she'll have to go through the state government, because I'm sending them out." The coroner said, hanging the phone up.

Mulder's heart sank; he had sent Scully to examine the bodies on her own, and now she was missing. He had to find her. He grabbed his jacket and headed for the front door.

"Where are you going, Fox?" Taylor asked in a sweet, concerned, tone.

"Scully never arrived at the coroner's office; I need to go find her."

"I'll drive you," Taylor said, picking up her keys.

She followed Mulder to the car, and the two of them made their way down the road to follow where Scully was last seen.

#####

Scully decided to cut through some grassy fields to get to the Sherriff's Station quicker. The sign on the road that she had passed had said that there were 12 miles left to get into town. She walked through the fields as she saw a car in the distance driving quickly down the road. She ran through the field and tried to get the car to stop.

"Hey! HEY!" Scully yelled, as she felt a hand come across her mouth.

Scully was forced to the ground, as her mouth was being silenced. She could not reach her weapon, and she felt the crushing pressure of the human behind her on her back.

"Shhh," The voice whispered.

Scully caught a glimpse of the person behind her, and noticed it was the dirty man from the cave.

"They don't know you're still alive, they think they've killed you. The only way to protect yourself and your partner is for them not to know where you are." The man said.

Scully rolled over on her back and looked at the man. "What the hell is going on?"

"Come on," the man said, motioning for Scully to follow him.

Scully hesitated for a moment, but then decided to follow him. Something strange was going on, but oddly enough, she had the distinct feeling that the man from the cave was trying to help her.


End file.
